1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of space applications, and more specifically, to the field of implementing Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite systems and Geostationary (GEO) satellite systems for communication purposes.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Low Earth Orbit (LEO) communication satellite systems have been traditionally implemented by filling up the entire constellation before enabling its operation for communication purposes. However, there are several drawbacks to this approach. Indeed, it takes time before the satellite system is loaded to its full capacity, and it also takes time to build the subscriber base. During these time periods (which might take several years), the partially built satellite system is not used at all, and the precious space resources are wasted while the partially built satellite system does not produce any revenue stream. Several such prior art satellite systems, for instance, Iridium and Globalstar, eventually went bankrupt, mainly or partially due to this problem of heavy initial investment in space segment before the satellite system could produce its first revenue stream.